French PM delays immigration bill over lack of majority

[April 26, 2023]  PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Wednesday that she would push plans for a new immigration law to the autumn for lack of enough support in parliament to get it adopted at this stage.

This comes after the government, which does not have an absolute majority in parliament, used special constitutional powers to adopt a deeply unpopular pension law without a final vote, after months of street protests.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne leaves following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, the leaders of the French Employers' association (MEDEF), the CPME and the Union of local businesses, after he signed into law the pension reform raising the retirement age, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

"Now is not the time to start a debate over a bill that could divide the French," Borne told a news conference.

She said she had failed to reach a deal so far with the conservative Les Republicains (LR) party on the immigration bill, which aims to speed up the expulsion of illegal migrants while making it easier to obtain residency permits for those who work in sectors struggling to find workers.

The government had initially planned to present the bill to both chambers in the spring. Borne said she would keep working on getting support for the bill from other groups.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Ingrid Melander)

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